Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier is the sixth installment of the ''Jak and Daxter'' (series). It comes after Jak X: Combat Racing. It was not developed by Naughty Dog, but by High Impact Games instead. Plot The story picks up shortly after Jak X. Keira has set out on some sort of spirit quest (to become a Sage, apparently) and the duo are trying to figure out how to fix the sudden Eco shortage along the world, which seems to be making the remaining Eco more unstable leading to storms and also slowly kill the planet. A device called the Eco Core will tell them what the problem with the Eco is and a device called the Eco Seeker will allow them to find it. Traveling to the 'Brink' of the universe (or world, otherwise it'd be flat, or a globe with a big hole), the last place the Precursors didn't finish which is filled with nothingness and half-completed areas. The area has an insane amount of Dark Eco, this reacts to Jak in a dangerous way. Changing into Dark Jak (and presumably Light Jak) is incredibly painful and can kill him. The game seems to begin with Eco Pirates attacking Jak and Keira's Hellcat on the way to the Brink, while Daxter manages to gun down two of the ships with the rear gun, the third harpoons the Hellcat. Captain Phoenix and an unnamed pirate drop onto the Hellcat and after they demand Eco and a fight starts. The unnamed pirate is tipped over the side by Keira tilting the Hellcat and Jak falls on his back. He tries unsuccessfully to go Dark but is prevented by the chaotic nature of Eco near the Brink. Daxter chases Phoenix off with the Tailgun but damages the Hellcat's left wing, forcing them to land due to a fuel leak. On Brink Island, Jak and Daxter need to find a source to repair the Hellcat. They later find a Eco Crystal to give the Hellcat power. When they take off they have to fight off Sky Pirates that are attacking the ACS Behemoth. When they land on the Behemoth, Duke Skyheed introduces himself and invites Jak, Daxter, and Keira to the Grand City of Aeropa. While in Aeropa Duke Skyheed and the Chancellor give Jak the Eco Seeker to see if he can power it. However he fails due to the amount of Dark Eco in the area. Keira then asks if she can study it. The Chancellor agrees to let them see it for a week if they pass the Danger Course. When Jak and Daxter proven themselves in the Danger Course, Duke Skyheed and the Chancellor give Jak the Eco Seeker. Then Captain Phoenix attacks the building and steals the Eco Seeker and Keira along with it. Jak and Daxter then chase Phoenix but are led into a trap resulting them to land on the Island again. On the Island the duo meet The Tym (later known as Tym). The Castaway automatically knows that Jak has been touched by Dark Eco. When Jak asks what his name is, The Castaway says he cant remember. He also mentions that he built the Robots. Jak then asks if he can repair his Hellcat and The Castaway says in order for him to fix it he needs a Velonium Power Pod from his Uberbot-888. The Uberbot-888 is the most dangerous robot he ever created. After Jak and Daxter get the Power Pod. The Castaway fixes his ship and sneaks on board. When Jak and Daxter take off they destroy the Phantom Blade's engine and defenses causing Phoenix to let them land. Upon board Jak and Phoenix get into an argument which is broken up by Keira. Keira then makes them shake hands. When Jak find out that the Eco Seeker is missing two parts, they travel to Far Drop to get the first piece from a female pirate. When they travel to the Old Aeropan Barracks, Jak comes across a testing table (similar to the one he was experimented on in Jak 2). He then gets angry that someones been experimenting with Dark Eco and that whoever did it should be destroyed. When they find one of the Coordinates, The Castaway reveals that he is ( or once was) a Dark Eco Sage and that he built the facility for the Aeropans. Phoenix then states that he was once the commander of the Aeropan Air Forces. He was put in charge of a secret weapons program to make a new class warrior (similar to the Dark Warrior Program). When he realized what they were doing, he refused and tried to stop the program, but Skyheed wouldn't hear about it. So he took the only option and kidnapped the program's chief scientist (The Castaway) and marooned him on Brink Island to hide his work from the Aeropans. When the location of the third coordinate sphere is found, the duo fly the Phantom Blade to Sector Zero. When they get the third sphere the Behemoth attacks the Phantom Blade and Jak has to defend it. Back on board, Jak, Daxter, Keira, Phoenix and the crew fix the Eco Seeker. The Eco Seeker then points to the Abandoned Research Rig. Then Phoenix states that the Research Rig was built over strange formations. It is then revealed to be a Precursor facility from long ago. When they reach the Eco Core, Keira tries to fix it. Then Klout brings Skyheed to the Eco Core. Phoenix then realizes that Skyheed paid Klout to get information on where the Eco Core was. Skyheed then told Klout to kill them. However Keira then presses a button which begins to activate it. Klout is then killed by Eco Radiation and Jak, Daxter, Keira, and Phoenix escape, leaving Skyheed behind. Back on board, a message is sent stating that the Aeropans have laid a siege to Far Drop. Jak and Daxter are sent to defeat Aeropan Shock Troops attacking Far Drop. Then the Behemoth appears to destroy Far Drop. Jak and Daxter then successfully destroy the Behemoth's weapons causing the Aeropans to retreat. On board the Phantom Blade, Phoenix wants revenge on Skyheed for the attack. Then another message is transmitted unanimously, telling them to use the old barracks warp gate. Jak, Daxter, and Keira get through the warp gate, Jaks Gunstaff weapons are disabled. Jak then has to destory the Weapons Control System to use his weapons again. When Jak's Gunstaff begins to work, he heads up to the palace to defeat Skyheed. When Jak encounters Duke Skyheed, Skyheed begins to draw on mass amounts of Dark Eco transforming him into a Dark Eco Monster. Jak tries to defeat him but Skyheed escapes on an Airship. Jak then takes an airship and chases him but Skyheed leads him into an obstacle course and Skyheed retreats to the Behemoth to take power from the Eco Core. Jak then has to stop the ACS Behemoth from stealing Eco Power from the Eco Core. Shields surround the Behemoth but the Phantom Blade disables them. When Jak destroys the Eco Crystal on the Behemoth, Phoenix flies the Phantom Blade between the Eco Core and Behemoth to prevent them from taking eco. But unfortunately the Phantom Blade gets destroyed and as a result, Phoenix gets killed. However, the Behemoth is now vulnerable to attacks. Keira then installs a Light Eco Beam in the Hellcat to finish the Behemoth off. When the Behemoth is finally destroyed with Duke Skyheed, all of the Eco returns to the Eco Core making it balance again. Keria then activates the Eco Core and the Core channels energy which travels to Eco Vents around the world ending the Eco shortage and reduces storm and quake activity in all directions. Keira then channels eco energy for the first time. The Castaway then reveals his name is Tym. Keira then tells Jak that she and Tym have been decoding the symbols at the Core and that the circles at the core are attached to other energy lines. Keira says they have some exploring to do. Then Keira and Jak end the game by having their kiss interrupted yet again by Daxter and he agrees to go with them. Gameplay Gameplay in the Lost Frontier is somewhat of a departure from earlier games; relying heavily on customization and vehicular activities. There are still platforming areas and hidden precursor orbs to find, but not nearly as many as the previous installments. along the way, you find find some armor, similar to how you could in Jak 3. Airship gameplay This part of gameplay is based on traveling between the islands of The Brink, completing quests and fighting Eco Pirates by the way. Here you control an Airship, which is upgradable by putting some details to different places on the ship. Every single ship has it's own number of available details to put. This details affect different stats of the ship as speed, movement or power of weapons, and, of course, it can be weapons as well. This details can be get by Daxter (taken from enemy ships), purchased or got by completing quests. These include: *Race quests- Where you have to race Dirk Hardpeck, get first and destroy the most targets. *Ambush quests- An Aeropan Airship is flying, carrying goods. You obtain some of these if you destroy it. Jak gameplay You control Jak in somewhat linear platforming settings. Jak can use a new arsenal of eco abilities never seen before. Precursor Idols grant him new abilities as the story progresses; buying 'Eco Upgrades' from Keira will help him improve these new abilities. Dark eco is no longer used to transform into Dark Jak, but instead collected as currency for the upgrades. Eco vents found in the Jak levels are used for special moves like 'Rocket Jump' and 'Flash Freeze'. Another ability, where Jak creates crystalline platforms is used to navigate normally unnavigable areas. Jak's new weapon, the Gunstaff is an upgradeable weapon which operates similarly to Jak 3 and Jak II's weapon- the Morph Gun. Dark Daxter gameplay Here you control the Dark form of Daxter- Dark Daxter. These levels take place in the Aeropans sewers and in an abandoned research facility. Dark Daxter has a ground pound attack, can shoot Dark Eco from his hands, and can enter 'Frenzy mode': a move where Daxter turns into a cyclone which can break barriers and dark eco crystals. Enemies The only enemies you fight are Eco Pirates, Robots, Dark Eco Mutants and Dark Aeropan Warriors. The pirates have a massive airship, the Phantom Blade and smaller fighters. The Phantom Blade can only be destroyed by targeting weak points, like the propellers. The new character, Captain Phoenix is the leader of the air pirates. The Mutants are seen in Fardrop, the Aeropan sewers and the Abandoned Research Rig. The Dark Warriors are seen in Old Aeropan Barracks, in the siege of Far Drop and in the siege of Aeropa. The Robots are only on the Brink Island. Duke Skyheed is the Leader oF Aeropa and despite he appears to be friendly in the beginning, he is the archenemy of Jak in this game. He has Dark powers, just like Jak. According to Captain Phoenix he spread the Dark eco powers to all his citizens who turned into the Dark Warriors. Art Shift There was an art shift in this installment of the series from a 'cartoony' style to a more realistic art style. Why this was done, is unknown. However, it's possible to reflect on the Ratchet and Clank Future series change of art style, or it could be because when Naughty Dog create Jak & Daxter PS3, they will give it Uncharted style graphics so High Impact games made a start on that Art Shift (it must also be known that High Impact Games collaborated with Naughty Dog) Sources * http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/04/01/jak-daxter-are-back/ * http://ps2.ign.com/articles/968/968790p1.html * http://www.highimpactgames.com/news.html * http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/24975 * http://psp.ign.com/articles/100/1007055p1.html * http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-the-jak-and/57481 Videos thumb|300px|left|Gamescom Trailer thumb|right|300px|E3 trailer Category:Games